Honkytonk Heaven!

Nashville, Tennessee! Home of the Grand Ole Opry, honkytonk, and Christian pop music! I spent my weekend here gittin' warmed up at my shitty hotel room at La Quinta Inn drinking PBRs:


At night, I took to the streets, visiting such local haunts as Demos' for dinner, Tootsie's for the authentic country scene, and twenty3 for a bit of clubbing before heading back to the hotel for a poor night's sleep and an early morning hangover.

Eating a nice piece of bread before my main course medium-rare steak at Demos'

Only in Nashville can you find super talented country acts that no one's ever heard of, nor ever will. This is one of those groups jamming out at Tootsie's on Broadway

One of the many nice Nashvillians I met while clubbin' at twenty3 in Nashville's trendy industrial district

All in all, Music City was a great place to spend a weekend. The folks are friendly and the music is just what you'd expect. It's an amazing thing to walk into a bar at 2 in the afternoon to find a country or rock group kicking ass on stage with not a single person in the room besides the bored bartender and myself ordering a tall glass of beer. I drove to the airport, country music in my veins and a belly-full of Waffle House.

Las Vegas Means "The Meadows" in English! It Should Be Called "Las Personas Gordidas"

Drinking margaritas out of a plastic Eiffel Tower at the Paris Casino

Well, what can I say about my weekend in Las Vegas? I got drunk. It's hard not to when everyone's always drinking: in restaurants, in the bathroom, on the street, even in coffee shops. Yes, the weekend was one long binge. I gambled. There may not be slot machines in the bathrooms, but they are everywhere else, including the slot machines. I won't tell you whether I lost or won any money, but let's just say that if I did WIN, you would know about it. I got pretty tired of all the velvet ropes and other symbols of status that Vegas is known for...at least when I wasn't invited:

Drinking champagne and listening to rap music in a Hummer stretch limo with 16 of my co-workers

A bunch of babes fawning over me

I did get the chance to see an old Seattle pal over the weekend. Danny was staying with his parents in a residential neighborhood of Las Vegas after breaking his leg in a freak accident. At home he has a bit of help while recovering from his fall. It was a much needed vacation from my vacation enjoying a great meal with Danny and his family. It was the first time all weekend that I substituted Diet Coke for alcohol.

Danny greeting me at his parents' house

Then I went out and got really drunk, getting to bed around 4 in the morning. Two-and-a-half hours later I rolled out of bed and took a shuttle to the airport. If you're the type of person who enjoys very expensive cans of soda, men that look like women, and crying in the shower as you scrub layer after layer of skin off your tainted nude body, Las Vegas is a great place to be. Damn! I forgot to visit the Hoover Dam!

Link to more pictures from the Las Vegas weekend here

In Chicago, I'm really "in the Loop!!"

My view from Club Quarters at Wacker

I had a great weekend running around and getting in trouble on Chicago's "loop" with many old friends. Special thanks must go out to all the good folks at the Club Quarters where I spent my nights on the 16th floor.

Two fellow Burnsville Class of '99ers and me at some bar

Taking pictures at the big bean in Millenium Park (Jeannette and I are barely visible on the top left)

I wish I had more time to describe my fabulous adventures, but I'm busy polishing up oldtownfancy.com, where episode 6 of Deadbeats will be released tomorrow morning! See you in Cincinnati.

Goodbye, My Beloved Minnesota!!

My mother and I ringing in the New Year

Well, it's been a great Winter vacation here in Minnesota, complete with old friends, forgotten friends, and a loving, wonderful family. Catching up wears on one's self though, and reminders of who I was and how I've changed were definitely encouraging. The best part about home has been the reminded memories that refresh my sense of identity and place within this big, wide world.

A reunion of the Mikey, Pauly, Benny Show (WMPB), plus our esteemed engineer David "Da' Boosh" Busch

The bar seemed to be one place where the nostalgia really was celebrated with shots of this and that and wisecracks that wouldn't be funny to strangers of this scene. I had a great time partying down at the VFW in Minneapolis one night where I sang songs with my old pal Justin Anderson and bumped into an old flame who took shots of "Liquid Viagra" or Vodka Red Bulls with my sister and I:

Images from the VFW: (left) my pal Justin crooning to Johnny Cash; (right) My sister Betsy, friend Natalie, and I drinking "Liquid Viagras"

Yes, friends are the best part about coming home. As are the traditional ceremonies of Minnesota during the holidays, such as drinking pitchers at Babe's:

Hanging out at Babe's:
(top from left: Me!, Jack, Ryan, Brock
bottom: Matt, our beer wench, Brother Andy)

I start off 2008 realizing how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many good folks. We'll see you next time on the Nickel-Plated Wayfarer in Chicago!